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Aaron Bruski

The Daily Dose

Daily Dose: Back to Pau?

The slow-rolling train wreck known as the Lakers strolled into Quicken Loans arena last night humming Bobby McFerrin tunes (young people ask the old people) and got embarrassed. At the core of the issue is the second-best syndrome, as in the fact that most of the players and fans wanted Phil Jackson and it didn’t happen. To make matters worse, Mike D’Antoni is about a month of bad play and an eventual early playoff exit from putting the final touches on his coaching headstone:

Mike D’Antoni

1998-2012

Did not change his ways

He had been given a pass for his act in Phoenix and Madison Square Garden, at least to a certain degree, but he has spent all of his capital trying to mold the Lakers into a running ballclub. They’re simply not that, and I don’t fault D’Antoni for trying to get them to play his way on offense but the jig is up. Ironically, the name that was toxic last week, Pau Gasol, is now the one being brought up by everybody from Magic Johnson to guys like me as a potential solution to the team’s problems. It just makes sense that arguably the league’s most skilled big man to start handling the highest percentage of the team’s inside possessions. Of course defense is the team's larger issue, but the rotations are deployed with the offense in mind and the lack of offensive effectiveness is a big driver of defensive energy.

Frankly, the timing of Pau’s knee issues was just way too convenient for me to completely discount internal funny business in L.A. Not only could they give him some much-needed rest, but they could also be a way to explain away some of his bad play and also give the team a best-case opportunity to try D’Antoni’s approach. After all, you can’t run seven seconds or less with two lumbering centers and you might not even be able to do it with one, so inserting Antawn Jamison into a prominent role made too much sense if you’re Mike D and the early returns were great.

If you’re Jim Buss and you wanted the team to have a distinctly D’Antoni flavor, Showtime Part Deux if you will, or anything that might cover the whiff of Phil in the air every night – you might give the new coach the run of the land. You hope that the team starts winning and your trademark decision was at the root of it. As a nice side pot maybe you can trade the expensive big man, which is an exercise in reverse psychology for both fans and opposing teams. Tell the local fans and media that Pau is breaking down, the source of all of the team’s problems, and they will support sending him out of town. Tell teams that you’re getting rid of Pau at a discount -- to work a deal that will get him off the books and reshape the roster to be a run-and-gun unit -- and opposing GMs will wonder if they're buying low.

There’s only one problem. The experiment didn’t work. D’Antoni is losing his cool at press conferences, Kobe looks like he wants to kill somebody, and Dwight Howard looks like a sad clown pedaling around the court on an undersized tricycle.

It shouldn’t be surprising that D’Antoni has been a disaster so far since he was setup to fail from the beginning, and it shouldn’t be surprising that he stuck to his philosophy. But the wagons have circled in Los Angeles and everybody from Flea to ESPN and every general format media outlet is going to rail on this. They’ve got D’Antoni in their sights and he will have to take the ultimate leap of faith – one that will cost him his job if he can’t turn things around – or he’ll have to come to grips with the fact his roster is old and cannot run.

We’ve seen signs, as D’Antoni has already said that Pau will return to the starting lineup when he is healthy, and a national TV game on Thursday in the Mecca of Basketball, where D’Antoni was fired* just last season – that makes for high drama and it wouldn’t be the worst time to trot out the Spaniard.

And incidentally, it makes for a somewhat risky, but high-upside chance to buy low on a guy that owners were fleeing from just a week ago.

*Writer's Note: Thank you to the commenter that pointed out that he was not fired. He was told it's my way or the highway by everybody that matters in New York, and then tendered his resignation.

With the team reeling, Kobe Bryant has done what Kobe does which is taking as much control of the offense as he can. He made more field goals last night (16) than his teammates combined (15), finishing with a season-high 42 points with five rebounds, two assists, one steal, and one block. His defense has left a lot to be desired at times even if it’s still better than average, and the reality Lakers need him to get his teammates better shots.

He just doesn’t trust them right now and it’s hard to blame him, as none of the group of Howard (19 & 20 with no blocks and 13-of-22 FTs), Chris Duhon (1-of-2 FGs, two points), Metta World Peace (13 points, 5-of-12 FGs, nine boards, one steal, one block, two threes), and Antawn Jamison (nine points, 3-of-10 FGs, one rebound, two steals, one three, 29 minutes) are plus offensive players.

Still, we’ve seen this show a million times and it never really works for the Lakers, and it’s another reason for both Pau and Steve Nash to shoulder some of that workload. I used to believe that the uptempo offense might offset any losses Kobe would have when Nash returned, but the Lakers look worse running the ball than I thought they would. Betting against Kobe would seem sacrilegious to many, and I’ve been burned before, but if I could swing a deal of Kobe for Chris Paul or James Harden I’d probably do it.

Jordan Hill (two points, 10 boards, one steal, one block) started at power forward instead of Jamison and has just spot-start appeal until Pau returns. World Peace owners should generally whether any storm he goes through and Jamison’s owners won’t want to pass up any above average free agents. If the wire is bare, consider holding for one more game to see if he can recreate his productive bench role in a less dysfunctional environment if the Lakers improve.

Returnin Irvin

Kyrie Irving had a signature game in last night’s win over the reeling Lakers, which just happened to coincide with his return from an 11-game absence due to a broken finger. He was filthy at times and his presence in Cleveland will ensure that they are an exciting team for years to come. Irving scored 28 points on 11-of-21 shooting with four threes, six boards, and a season-high 11 assists, while backup Jeremy Pargo returned to irrelevance with just one rebound, one assist, and one block in 10 minutes off the bench.

With Daniel Gibson leaving the game with yet another elbow issue, it’s well past time to view him as damaged goods and this leaves C.J. Miles as the last man standing on the wings with Dion Waiters (ankle) out. Miles came through with one of his patented out-of-nowhere explosions, scoring 28 points on 10-of-18 shooting (including five threes) with five rebounds, one steal, and one block. The flaws in his game have been a lack of aggression on offense, shot selection, and porous defense. With Irving back in the lineup, it’s possible the more coherent Cavs approach could free up Miles to produce when there are no other options for Byron Scott to turn to. Consider Miles a risky short-term pickup with some good upside while Waiters is out.

Waiters is dealing with a bone bruise and owners should always reserve judgment on those despite the media undertone that these aren’t serious issues. He is “unlikely” to travel with the team for tonight’s game in Indiana, so owners should continue to consider him out indefinitely until there is an actual positive report. Tristan Thompson (one point, 10 boards, no steals or blocks) just isn’t any good and I’m not holding my breath for that to change. Tyler Zeller scored six points with six boards, three assists, and two steals in 27 minutes, which piques the interest but doesn’t put fannies in the fantasy seats.

The slow-rolling train wreck known as the Lakers strolled into Quicken Loans arena last night humming Bobby McFerrin tunes (young people ask the old people) and got embarrassed. At the core of the issue is the second-best syndrome, as in the fact that most of the players and fans wanted Phil Jackson and it didn’t happen. To make matters worse, Mike D’Antoni is about a month of bad play and an eventual early playoff exit from putting the final touches on his coaching headstone:

Mike D’Antoni

1998-2012

Did not change his ways

He had been given a pass for his act in Phoenix and Madison Square Garden, at least to a certain degree, but he has spent all of his capital trying to mold the Lakers into a running ballclub. They’re simply not that, and I don’t fault D’Antoni for trying to get them to play his way on offense but the jig is up. Ironically, the name that was toxic last week, Pau Gasol, is now the one being brought up by everybody from Magic Johnson to guys like me as a potential solution to the team’s problems. It just makes sense that arguably the league’s most skilled big man to start handling the highest percentage of the team’s inside possessions. Of course defense is the team's larger issue, but the rotations are deployed with the offense in mind and the lack of offensive effectiveness is a big driver of defensive energy.

Frankly, the timing of Pau’s knee issues was just way too convenient for me to completely discount internal funny business in L.A. Not only could they give him some much-needed rest, but they could also be a way to explain away some of his bad play and also give the team a best-case opportunity to try D’Antoni’s approach. After all, you can’t run seven seconds or less with two lumbering centers and you might not even be able to do it with one, so inserting Antawn Jamison into a prominent role made too much sense if you’re Mike D and the early returns were great.

If you’re Jim Buss and you wanted the team to have a distinctly D’Antoni flavor, Showtime Part Deux if you will, or anything that might cover the whiff of Phil in the air every night – you might give the new coach the run of the land. You hope that the team starts winning and your trademark decision was at the root of it. As a nice side pot maybe you can trade the expensive big man, which is an exercise in reverse psychology for both fans and opposing teams. Tell the local fans and media that Pau is breaking down, the source of all of the team’s problems, and they will support sending him out of town. Tell teams that you’re getting rid of Pau at a discount -- to work a deal that will get him off the books and reshape the roster to be a run-and-gun unit -- and opposing GMs will wonder if they're buying low.

There’s only one problem. The experiment didn’t work. D’Antoni is losing his cool at press conferences, Kobe looks like he wants to kill somebody, and Dwight Howard looks like a sad clown pedaling around the court on an undersized tricycle.

It shouldn’t be surprising that D’Antoni has been a disaster so far since he was setup to fail from the beginning, and it shouldn’t be surprising that he stuck to his philosophy. But the wagons have circled in Los Angeles and everybody from Flea to ESPN and every general format media outlet is going to rail on this. They’ve got D’Antoni in their sights and he will have to take the ultimate leap of faith – one that will cost him his job if he can’t turn things around – or he’ll have to come to grips with the fact his roster is old and cannot run.

We’ve seen signs, as D’Antoni has already said that Pau will return to the starting lineup when he is healthy, and a national TV game on Thursday in the Mecca of Basketball, where D’Antoni was fired* just last season – that makes for high drama and it wouldn’t be the worst time to trot out the Spaniard.

And incidentally, it makes for a somewhat risky, but high-upside chance to buy low on a guy that owners were fleeing from just a week ago.

*Writer's Note: Thank you to the commenter that pointed out that he was not fired. He was told it's my way or the highway by everybody that matters in New York, and then tendered his resignation.

With the team reeling, Kobe Bryant has done what Kobe does which is taking as much control of the offense as he can. He made more field goals last night (16) than his teammates combined (15), finishing with a season-high 42 points with five rebounds, two assists, one steal, and one block. His defense has left a lot to be desired at times even if it’s still better than average, and the reality Lakers need him to get his teammates better shots.

He just doesn’t trust them right now and it’s hard to blame him, as none of the group of Howard (19 & 20 with no blocks and 13-of-22 FTs), Chris Duhon (1-of-2 FGs, two points), Metta World Peace (13 points, 5-of-12 FGs, nine boards, one steal, one block, two threes), and Antawn Jamison (nine points, 3-of-10 FGs, one rebound, two steals, one three, 29 minutes) are plus offensive players.

Still, we’ve seen this show a million times and it never really works for the Lakers, and it’s another reason for both Pau and Steve Nash to shoulder some of that workload. I used to believe that the uptempo offense might offset any losses Kobe would have when Nash returned, but the Lakers look worse running the ball than I thought they would. Betting against Kobe would seem sacrilegious to many, and I’ve been burned before, but if I could swing a deal of Kobe for Chris Paul or James Harden I’d probably do it.

Jordan Hill (two points, 10 boards, one steal, one block) started at power forward instead of Jamison and has just spot-start appeal until Pau returns. World Peace owners should generally whether any storm he goes through and Jamison’s owners won’t want to pass up any above average free agents. If the wire is bare, consider holding for one more game to see if he can recreate his productive bench role in a less dysfunctional environment if the Lakers improve.

Returnin Irvin

Kyrie Irving had a signature game in last night’s win over the reeling Lakers, which just happened to coincide with his return from an 11-game absence due to a broken finger. He was filthy at times and his presence in Cleveland will ensure that they are an exciting team for years to come. Irving scored 28 points on 11-of-21 shooting with four threes, six boards, and a season-high 11 assists, while backup Jeremy Pargo returned to irrelevance with just one rebound, one assist, and one block in 10 minutes off the bench.

With Daniel Gibson leaving the game with yet another elbow issue, it’s well past time to view him as damaged goods and this leaves C.J. Miles as the last man standing on the wings with Dion Waiters (ankle) out. Miles came through with one of his patented out-of-nowhere explosions, scoring 28 points on 10-of-18 shooting (including five threes) with five rebounds, one steal, and one block. The flaws in his game have been a lack of aggression on offense, shot selection, and porous defense. With Irving back in the lineup, it’s possible the more coherent Cavs approach could free up Miles to produce when there are no other options for Byron Scott to turn to. Consider Miles a risky short-term pickup with some good upside while Waiters is out.

Waiters is dealing with a bone bruise and owners should always reserve judgment on those despite the media undertone that these aren’t serious issues. He is “unlikely” to travel with the team for tonight’s game in Indiana, so owners should continue to consider him out indefinitely until there is an actual positive report. Tristan Thompson (one point, 10 boards, no steals or blocks) just isn’t any good and I’m not holding my breath for that to change. Tyler Zeller scored six points with six boards, three assists, and two steals in 27 minutes, which piques the interest but doesn’t put fannies in the fantasy seats.

Grand-Pa-Pa

The Knicks and Nets rivalry looks like it’s going to be a good one going forward, and the Knicks took Round 2 last night in exciting fashion – with a Jason Kidd 3-pointer finding the bottom of the net for the game-winning bucket. Grand-Pa-Pa is a key component to what the Knicks are doing on offense, and I’ll be the first one to say I was wrong about his ability to stay on the court while being productive. I’m still concerned about the return of Iman Shumpert as well as Kidd’s ability to stay healthy, but Kidd makes things go in New York and it’s not a foregone conclusion that he’ll disappear from the fantasy landscape.

Kidd scored a season-high 18 points with six 3-pointers, six rebounds, six assists, and a steal in 37 minutes, and owners should give him a pretty wide berth given the numbers he has been putting up. Carmelo Anthony scored a season-high 45 points on 15-of-24 shooting (5-of-7 3PTs, 10-of-11 FTs) with five rebounds and three assists, and though J.R. Smith didn’t hit a three he still had 16 points and four rebounds in the win. What makes this offense work is the commitment to Anthony on the offensive end, his continued growth and development in a favorable situation his people carved out, and the convergence of players that have bought into Mike Woodson’s defensive approach. It helps that Anthony has the championship fever after hanging out with guys that have rings this summer during the Olympics, but it also helps that it is a veteran roster that finally complements one another. Tyson Chandler (five points, seven boards) patrols the middle, Anthony attracts the double-teams, J.R. Smith is deadly on the ball reversal, Raymond Felton is more than capable of making plays, and Kidd is a perfect spot-up facilitator once the penetrators have done their work.

If only they could keep that chemistry all season….

Amare Stoudemire (knee) is “closing in” on clearance for practice and video of him showed a healthy, albeit out-of-game-condition player and that is to be expected. I’m not going to make any warranties about his explosion, but it’s safe to say he is on track for a return and by virtue of that he shouldn’t be on any wires. The worst case is likely to yield a low-end player that remains owned in 12-team formats all year long, and the best case is a late-mid round upside with only minor injury hassles. I don’t expect him to steal a lot of touches from the overall group, because frankly I don’t think he can beat guys on a consistent basis anymore. Can he beat them some of the time? Can he be effective on open looks underneath? Can he move to the right spots to get the ball? Yes, yes, and yes. I just don’t see the Knicks changing what they do when they have better playmaking and ball-handling options in Carmelo, Kidd, Felton, and Smith. If STAT can get his offense in the flow of the game and provide some relief on the glass, the Knicks are going to be a tough out in April, May, and maybe June.

These Tickets Aren’t Going To Sell Themselves

Brook Lopez (foot) has already been ruled out for tonight’s game in Toronto, and it’s yet another lesson for fantasy owners and analysts that teams and players often don’t tell the truth. Those tickets don’t sell themselves, yanno? Andray Blatche put up good numbers once again in Lopez’s place, scoring 23 points on 9-of-13 shooting but he had just four rebounds to go with his two steals and that glass-work had to grate on Avery Johnson. Blatche has played well on the whole, though, and with Kris Humphries’ (two points, two boards, eight minutes) somewhat predictable decline it’s possible he can hold some value whenever Lopez returns.

Gerald Wallace looked like he might exit late with a right knee injury, but he stayed in the game to put in a key tip and finished with 17 points, four rebounds, four assists, and a steal in 43 minutes. Don’t be surprised if you see his name pop up on an injury report, per usual. Reggie Evans started for Humphries and made noise with a season-high 18 rebounds, five points, one steal, and one block in 33 minutes, but I can’t see him surviving the eventual shakeout when Lopez returns.

Lawson Lights

Ty Lawson’s owners had to be pretty peeved when the relatively safe play bombed to start the season, but he has come on lately and had another good night with 26 points on 9-of-17 shooting, five rebounds, seven assists, and four steals. I was worried about a see-saw effect with he and Andre Iguodala, who scored 12 points with eight rebounds and three assists, and I probably should have had both guys a bit lower in my initial rankings. I wouldn’t panic on either guy but they necessarily do a lot of the same things on offense.

Kenneth Faried (three points, six rebounds, one steal, two blocks, 23 minutes) has slowed down lately but we’ve seen that movie in the beginning of the year and we know how it ends. Plan accordingly. I grabbed Corey Brewer in a deeper 12-team big money league and he hasn’t disappointed yet, and he put up another 15 points with three treys last night. Ride him until the wheels fall off.

Disappearing in Detroit

The Pistons gave up a 17-point lead and lost to the Nuggets last night, with the big fantasy story being the decline of Greg Monroe, who hit just 1-of-9 shots for six points, 12 boards, three assists, three steals, and five turnovers. He watched the end of the game from the bench and that hasn’t been a rare sight lately, which underlines the one concern we had about Monroe entering the year – his disposition toward disappearing every now and again. Still, he has always bounced back and there is no reason to think that it won’t happen again.

Rodney Stuckey scored all 17 of his points in the second half last night, so he’s still not helping owners in the heartburn department, but his turnaround is almost complete after a viciously bad start. I managed to stick it out where I own him for the most part, but it was a gut-wrenching, self-loathing experience. Kyle Singler’s (nine points, 4-of-12 FGs) value went in the tank right about the time that Stuckey got himself together, and owners can move on for a hot free agent. Andre Drummond (seven points, 11 rebounds, two steals, one block, 21 minutes) had a productive night and owners will want to try to stash him where they can for as long as they can. I have one league where I have added and dropped him at least five times.

Last Men Standing

The Wizards eked out an ugly win over the Pelicans last night as both teams shot 32 percent from the field. And just so you’re not confused, I don’t think I can call the Hornets anything other than the Pelicans going forward. It just doesn’t seem right. So the Wizards got their third win of the year in a 77-70 barnburner, but as many owners hoped for Jordan Crawford and Bradley Beal were given the reins and told to go with A.J. Price and John Wall out for the next month or so. Crawford scored 26 points on 9-of-24 shooting with six rebounds, four assists, two threes and a block, and Beal had 15 points on 6-of-12 shooting with seven rebounds, four assists, one steal, and one three as the duo both played more than 38 minutes each.

Crawford and/or Beal might have struggles with their field goal shooting, but Randy Wittman knows he can’t run Shaun Livingston (16 minutes) out there too much. Both youngsters are must-own players and Crawford is a must-start player right now. Kevin Seraphin might have been dealing with the flu so we’re giving him a break after his eight-point, eight-rebound night in 16 minutes. Nene double-doubled with 10 and 10 but I’m not looking his way until he can play more than 25 minutes per night.

I Promise Never To Call One of These Sections ‘The Pelican Brief’

The big story for the Pelicans was the return of Anthony Davis from an 11-game absence due to an ankle injury, and he didn’t waste any time in producing with 13 points, eight boards, three steals, and three blocks. The buy low window is shut. Ryan Anderson scored all 17 of his points in the first half and finished with an ugly 7-of-21 shooting line, but added 11 rebounds to go with his three treys and I have absolutely zero worry about Davis impacting his production beyond a superficial degree.

Robin Lopez scored just two points on 1-of-3 shooting with 10 rebounds and five blocks in 22 minutes, which tells us that his touches and minutes are set to go down despite the nice boards and blocks. Al-Farouq Aminu was a surprise starter and he didn’t do anything with his opportunity, hitting just 2-of-8 shots for six points, six boards and one steal in 27 minutes. Beat writer Jimmy Smith opined that he wouldn’t be surprised if rookie Darius Miller (zero points, two steals, one block, 12 minutes) ended up starting again, but he hasn’t done anything to warrant much fantasy consideration at this point. Aminu is waiver wire material after appearing to have his role locked down to start the year.

Austin Rivers started and had a somewhat respectable 11 points on 5-of-8 shooting (no threes) with five rebounds and three assists. His peripherals are still awful and he has a ways to go in 8- and 9-cat formats. Greivis Vasquez hit just 2-of-14 shots for five points with eight rebounds, five assists, and a steal, but didn’t have a turnover and that in of itself is a slight win for him lately.

Belinelli the Bull’s-eye

The Clippers and Bulls don’t have too many fantasy surprises, but they made for a nice nightcap with all the dunking that was going on. Blake Griffin put up 22 points on 10-of-19 shooting with 10 rebounds, three assists, one steal and a three, while DeAndre Jordan (seven points, 10 boards, no blocks) and Jamal Crawford (10 points, three rebounds, five assists, no threes) had relatively pedestrian lines. I’m still waiting for Billups to return and play for about two weeks before ruling on whether or not Crawford was a sell-high guy weeks ago or not. Since he has gone from early-early round value over the season’s first two weeks to fifth round value on the year I feel pretty good about my take.

The Bulls have found a new fantasy asset in Marco Belinelli, who hit just 6-of-22 shots but rolled up a nice 18-point, seven-rebound, five-assist effort that included two steals and four 3-pointers. Pick him up while he’s hot because that type of upside is hard to find, even though we know it has the potential to be very short-lived.

News and Notes - Blazers Edition

Wesley Matthews (hip) did not practice yesterday and is still questionable for Thursday’s game against the Spurs. Nicolas Batum (back) participated in shooting drills, and Sasha Pavlovic is the recommended spot play if one or both of them cannot go. Still, he comes with a tremendous amount of risk playing against a team that isn’t the Raptors. Damian Lillard’s right ankle tweak doesn’t sound like a big deal.

Wednesday Night Lights

HAWKS @ MAGIC: We’ll be watching out for updates on Kyle Korver (back), who has been a must-start player in 8- and 9-cat formats for most of the year. Owners want to know if Josh Smith can carry over some of his momentum from last week, while Al Horford has been on a tear as of late. Orlando is going to be an up-and-down squad all year, so expect everybody to have some inconsistency from game-to-game. The fantasy play to watch is Andrew Nicholson, who showed up in the box score for the first meaningful time on Monday.

NETS @ RAPTORS: There was a players-only meeting and a surprisingly low amount of news coming out of Toronto regarding Kyle Lowry’s shoulder/right hand/ankle injuries and Andrea Bargnani’s shoulder injury. Bargnani said his elbow “didn’t feel right” and aside from numbness in his hand he said that something was “awry.” I grabbed Ed Davis in one 12-team league and with Amir Johnson suspended a game he’ll get to audition for more playing time. Ryan Wolstat of the Toronto Sun, a fantasy player by his own right, said that Davis would be the biggest beneficiary of any time off by Bargnani and I’m going to test his hypothesis for the chance Bargs misses time. Of course, this upgrades Jonas Valanciunas as a stash and Johnson could end up winning the beneficiary battle, but it’s hard to see Dwane Casey bending over backwards to play him after the mouthpiece incident. As for Lowry, he wasn’t coming back into Monday’s close game and it would make sense for the Raptors to shut him down for a few games so he can get right, though I haven’t heard anything to back that up. Jose Calderon will be a trade candidate all season and there’s no greater time than now for the Raps to showcase him. He should be owned in all leagues right now for the chance he starts putting up must-start numbers. We’re going to learn a lot about Terrence Ross’ development if he continues to ride the pine amidst all these injuries. Mickael Pietrus and Linas Kleiza might swap taking nights off to keep their knees right.

CAVS @ PACERS: It’s not going to have big implications, but I’m looking forward to seeing Ben Hansbrough run the second unit. He can’t be as bad as D.J. Augustin, which is odd because Indy beat writers were so high on the guy coming into the year. Otherwise, it will be the George Hill and David West show, as usual.

BULLS @ SIXERS:Evan Turner is proving me wrong about his ability to show sustained improvement, but it’s worth noting that he’s still having a tough time cracking top-half of the draft value because of poor peripherals. Consider moving him while he’s flexing his popcorn muscles every night, but only in even-money scenarios while it looks like he's 'getting it.' Spencer Hawes has been making some noise, so a good night tonight might make him a standard league pickup. Andrew Bynum had yet another questionable report return about his knees, and I am well past the point of caring about his day-to-day travails. In a weekly league or league with games played limits it probably makes sense to hang on until his situation plays itself out, but what a mess.

CLIPPERS @ BOBCATS: Mike Dunlap has been throwing his weight around a bit, but I don’t see how owners of Byron Mullens should be worried. The other big men around there are DeSagana Diop, Brendan Haywood, and Bismack Biyombo for crying out loud. Yes, they could move Michael Kidd-Gilchrist into a power forward role but the kid has enough on his plate. Biyombo is worth a hard look for his ability to get boards and block the ball, and it’s possible the team is ready to roll with his development starting right now. As long as Jeff Taylor is getting heavy minutes then somebody is going to be the odd man out, and I like the group in the following order: Gerald Henderson, Taylor, Ramon Sessions, Ben Gordon. We haven’t seen Kemba Walker take a hit yet but with all those guards needing time I can’t imagine that he doesn’t take at least an incremental hit, and his shooting is something we still have to watch.

WARRIORS @ HEAT: My Warriors head into Miami with their chests all puffed out, but their easy schedule shouldn’t have national writers putting out blasphemy that Mark Jackson is a Coach of the Year candidate. Until he can draw up a late-game play and not make stupid coach-by-narrative mistakes that talk should be off the table. Stephen Curry and David Lee are on fire, Klay Thompson is humming along just fine, and the bench duo of Jarrett Jack and Carl Landry are on track as of right now. Harrison Barnes is struggling and is the odd man out right now. The Heat are getting solid play out of Dwyane Wade, who was left for dead by most folks last week.

NUGGETS @ WOLVES:Ricky Rubio (knee) isn’t likely to suit up, so the status is quo heading into tonight. The bigger news of the last 24 hours was Kevin Love’s gripes about Minnesota management from Adrian Wojnarowski’s hit piece from yesterday, and this type of meticulously planned action is neither surprising nor important. Surely Wolves management and coaching knew that Love was pissed about not getting the fifth year in his deal, and they probably knew that this piece was going to hit the net. Look for Love to go heavy tonight to back those words up. Nikola Pekovic was dealing with an ankle issue but it didn’t appear to be bothering him during yesterday’s practice.

KINGS @ BUCKS: Ersanity, or some destitute man’s version of it, is underway and there is no better team than the Kings for him to keep up the good work. He is probable to play with a leg contusion and if you don’t recall this was my last week to decide on whether or not to part ways. Ilyasova helped his cause with a solid week, and it’s shaping up to be an easy call for me now that I’ve waited this long. He does well and he stays, if he face-plants he is gone. Ekpe Udoh’s absence from practice yesterday due to a wrist injury can only help Ilyasova’s cause, and Mike Dunleavy’s knee injury has me officially spooked. A mid-round value for most of the year, I just don’t think it’s worth gambling that everything will be okay in a situation as muddy as Milwaukee. If we get a good report in 24 hours, I might hold him in the one spot I still have him in. Marquis Daniels is a Scott Skiles guy and could be a sneaky play over the next week or so in deeper formats. I’ve written about the Kings enough this past week, but Tyreke Evans (knee) practiced yesterday and is a good bet to play. Just don’t listen to a word Keith Smart says without running it through some sort of filter. Also, don’t be surprised if Smart has a quick hook with DeMarcus Cousins after his ball-punching incident from Monday. Local team-sponsored talk radio teed off on Cousins which is usually a sign that the team is behind something.

PELICANS @ THUNDER: The Thunder roll along into a game they should control easily, and they are one of the easy going fantasy squads this season now that Scott Brooks finally figured out that Serge Ibaka can play. Finally.

WIZARDS @ ROCKETS:James Harden (ankle) “should” play tonight and this will be the pivotal game for owners gambling in his once four-game week. Jeremy Lin turned an ankle at the end of yesterday’s practice but nobody around the team was “overly concerned,” so barring a surprise at shootaround we should get a positive report pretty early on today.

MAVS @ CELTICS:Shawn Marion (groin) is heading toward a game-time decision it seems, and that just gives a few extra minutes out to the entire group, with Vince Carter and Jae Crowder getting the biggest boosts. Darren Collison has been running pretty well since his move to the bench, which isn’t surprising, and it wasn’t surprising that his value took a big hit after a fast start. None of the Dallas beat writers were too thrilled with him at the time, even though he was putting up big numbers. The Celtic to watch in this contest is Jeff Green, who has flirted with standard league value over the past week.

GRIZZLIES @ SUNS: Alvin Gentry got a vote of confidence from Suns owner Robert Sarver, which may be code for I don’t want to pay another coach to run this trainwreck of a team. Nothing is working, Gentry is messing with everybody’s minutes, and nobody seems happy. Marcin Gortat made comments again about his playing time and touches, and while it’s not winning him any acclaim with much of anybody it’s probably an accurate window into what is going on. Gentry wants to find the right combo of guys and a la Keith Smart he has alienated them all. Goran Dragic (flu) returned to practice and will likely play tonight, and he’s the only must-start in the group and even he gets his minutes and touches clipped by Gentry. Mike Conley has been slumping a bit but nobody cares because he is a fantasy stud. The Grizzlies boast a consistent fantasy squad, and right now the only question mark is Tony Allen. He is returning from a groin injury and prior to that he was moving in on 12-team value.

SPURS @ JAZZ:Derrick Favors practiced yesterday and will be a game-time decision tonight. Signs are pointing to him playing and it’ll be interesting if Ty Corbin goes back to the failed policy of splitting PF minutes directly between Favors and Paul Millsap. Al Jefferson is giving up as many points as he is scoring it seems, and Utah’s over-reliance on him on the offensive end is a drug that Corbin can’t get off of. The Spurs are running fairly consistently right now, with Tony Parker and Tim Duncan on fire, Manu Ginobili a solid starting option, and Danny Green in a hot streak right now. All of them should be in most lineups.

Aaron Bruski has covered hoops for Rotoworld since 2008 and has competed in national fantasy sports competitions for nearly two decades. In 2015 he was named FSWA Basketball Writer of the Year. You can also find his work over at ProBasketballTalk, where he received critical acclaim for his in-depth reporting of the Kings' relocation saga. Hit him on Twitter at Aaronbruski.Email :Aaron Bruski